An appeal to past, present and future MPs

These people go on to become government contractors, or are inducted into the police and civil administration. Both parties shamelessly indulge in politicisation of the police, civil administration and public institutions. Both parties will find some excuse to stop or delay the separation of the Judiciary and functioning of an independent Anti Corruption Commission.

Both parties have put Bangladesh on the top of the corruption list, both parties flagrantly use muscle power and black money in the election process. Bangladesh has many problems -- poverty, illiteracy, corruption, fundamentalism/militancy, but no problem retards our development as much as this system of confrontational politics.

With elections around the corner, both parties are again making tall promises, but no indication from either of the two parties that they will resolve their differences and work together for the development of the country. The premeditated objective for the two political dynasties with the help of a bi-polar politicised administration is to divide and rule this country forever, just as the British and Pakistanis did. The rest of us can continue to look forward to a choice between the lesser of the two evils (if we are lucky), followed by hartals and the looting and pillaging of the national exchequer.

Our two political dynasties are morally bankrupt, with corruption starting at the very top and permeating down. Their narrow self-interests have one dynasty joining hands with fundamentalists, and the other trying to paint Bangladesh as a Taleban state.

Many of our honourable MPs of AL/BNP may claim to be honest (at least financially), but how can anyone be a party to this system of politics and be politically honest? I call upon the patriotic MPs of both parties to do a little soul searching -- what is the future for Bangladesh under AL/BNP?

Put aside your petty differences, unite under a common platform and reject this system of dysfunctional politics. How hard can it be to field 300 honest and capable candidates under a common platform? The movement for clean candidates will have to start with a movement for clean parties.

The good citizens of Bangladesh will vote for you, the Citizens Committee will support you. Let us not live in the past, let us look to the future.